Organic farming wouldn?t feed world

To the editor:

Someone wrote that Branstad should ban Monsanto. Take a short drive north of Fairfield on Highway 1 at the airport turn and take a good look at the organic corn and bean crop. You won?t find much else than weeds. That land is some of the richest soil in the world. It could have fed thousands.

The world population will reach 9 billion people by the year 2050. Without doubling the yields on the same amount of acres there will not be enough food. So let?s all raise organic and non GMO?s. On a good year the yields would be a third to a half. The only reason people have the choice to eat organic is because of the bio-tech. Without it there would not be enough food now, much less the projected need in 40 years.

Eating organic. People say, ?Well that?s our choice.? Ever think that people in third world countries don?t have that option? When people donate to disaster ravaged countries, do they make sure it not bio-tech? Do you think the recipients care? They just want a meal. People will starve so you can have your organic.

There is another aspect of the organic besides the obvious loss of production. Conventional farmers no-till in the seeds, spray herbicide at a 120 foot wide path, then harvest in the fall. Three trips across the field. Let?s farm organic. There is so much residue on the field it needs to be tilled. Probably twice. Because of the weeds when the crops emerge, you need to cultivate. Those are only 20 feet wide so it will take six times the trips as the spray. A month later, more weeds. Let?s cultivate again. Another six trips. Maybe again later. By the time you harvest, it has taken five times as much time and fuel to raise one-third the crop. To raise the same amount of food, it would take 15 times the natural resources.

The world is out of usable land. Everyone knows of the rainforest being cleared and the ?slash and burn? method to clear land. To feed the world organic, where would you find a forest or a prairie?

The lady thought Governor Branstad would leave his legacy if he would outlaw Monsanto. Correct. That would bankrupt Iowa. She also thought marijuana should be legalized. You can?t have both. Without bio-tech, there wouldn?t be enough food to satisfy your munchies.

? Craig Hackert, Richland